Miscellaneous Thoughts On Dentistry And Biotechnology

Monthly Archives: March 2017

A study from Dublin University College has revealed that dental crowding and malocclusion first appeared amongst the world’s earliest farmers around twelve thousand years ago. Another interesting conclusion from the undertaking is that the hunters-gatherers who lived before the aforementioned group lacked the condition.

The findings were attained after scrutinizing the lower jaws and teeth crown dimensions of archeological skeletons dating back between six thousand and twenty eight thousand years ago. The expedition uncovered an outright distinction between the jawbone frameworks of European hunters, Anatolian semi-sedentary gatherers, and the transitional farmers.

Lead author Ron Pinhasi points out that the transition to agricultural practices resulted in the scenario because farmers were now consuming “soft”cooked edibles when initially, hunters fed on “hard” uncooked foods. The change enacted a decrease in jaw size since there was a lesser need for chewing, but the teeth’s magnitude remained and therefore the jaw was overburdened as there was no adequate spacing. Project proponents are regarding this limitation as the initial defect that precipitated malocclusion, an ailment currently plaguing around one in five persons in the global population.

The Dental Depot franchise is transcending its business by integrating dental implant undertakings to its general dentistry services, all under the same housing at its recently acquired Oklahoma City metro location. The facility’s lead oral surgeon Ken Templeton notes that the center is the first in town to provide oral surgery, artificial replacements and family dentistry in a single roofing. He also asserts they are the first to facilitate the much needed interdisciplinary approach to dentistry, with a team of certified specialists in varying domains collaborating closely to negate cases of referrals/other appointments. The group caters to almost every oral related activity ranging from regular cleaning to the more complicated cosmetic restoration/reconstruction. Every operator working within the space has also been equipped with sophisticated dental apparatus to guarantee maximum comfort and care.

Templeton further notes that the approach has so far provided a conducive environment for treating patients, due to an enhanced trust element.

A study from the Michigan Technological University indicates that TiO2 nanotubes could negate cases of dental implant deterioration by corroborating bone growth around the artificial fix while also acting as a drug delivery system.

Dental implants refers to titanium made supportive structures which are positioned into the jawbone via surgery and firmly hold the synthetic teeth. They are often plagued by two issues: bacterial infections from the mouth’s environs plus the healing deficiency on the bone part that surrounds the device.

However, a key approach to deal with the aforementioned concerns is the use of titanium dioxide nanotubes, materials which have proved quite effective in combating infection, supporting the healing process, while also increasing the lifespan of dental implants.

Project team members in the aforementioned research conducted experiments to unravel the nanotubes’ toxicity, and ultimately discovered that they were not suppressing oral cells but rather they were promoting their growth. They further revealed that these gadgets were capable of carrying and disseminating antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory compounds such as sodium naproxen.

Mesothelioma refers to a cancer type that plagues the mesothelial tissue, and often stems from asbestos exposure. Even though the risk of contamination may exist in unexpected areas, a recently published study has revealed that dentists and other specialists partaking in prosthetics’ casting could fall victim to the dire ailment due to the use of asbestos dental tape.

Asbestos in the Dental Industry

Asbestos has in the past been employed to manufacture the casting molds which are responsible for shaping various prosthetics including crowns and bridges. Its fire-resistant attribute made it a suitable option considering these artificial parts were generated out of subjection to high temperatures.

Mesothelioma and the Link to Asbestos

Till the 1970s, the product was considered a “miracle” compound, being abundant, relatively low-cost, and impervious to heat/relative chemical reactions. But in the following decade, oral proponents discarded the material after realizing that the airborne dust stemming from asbestos dental tape was a contributing factor to the lethal mesothelioma. It’s unfortunate that the ailing still plagues some dental specialists who came into contact with the aforementioned powder in the earlier casting undertakings.

Health proponents have been utilizing the fruit of the Terminaliachebula tree as medication to a number of disorders; specifically because of its anti-mutagenic, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral features. A recent research undertaking published at the journal BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicinehas now revealed that an ethanol extract from the same drupe (EETC) could prevent both periodontal afflictions and tooth resorption.

Methods

The oral bacteria restrainingattribute was reached at following an assessment procedurebased on the disc diffusion approach. The experimentationalso entailed scrutiny on the molecular structures of dental plaque bacteria (DPB) cells after insertion of EETC, a procedure that ultimately uncovered the extract’s anti-inflammatory impact. The cell-breakdown inhibition characteristic was determined via pit formation assays on tooth samples.

Results

EETC proved to be quite an effective annihilator to oral bacteria growth, while it also restrained the production of inflammatory proteases and the induction of bone resorption. Therefore, EETC may be an advantageous alternative to enhance the conventional medication employed in treating DPB mediated ailments.